AIP Places Ex-MARA Crypto Expert Smagula in Rep. Torres' Office for BTC Policy

The American Innovation Project (AIP) has appointed Jacob Smagula, a former government-affairs staffer at bitcoin miner MARA and current DeFi Education Fund member, as a policy fellow to join Rep. Ritchie Torres’ Capitol Hill office. AIP, founded in August 2025 and backed by heavyweights like Digital Currency Group, Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, Marathon Digital, Uniswap Labs, and Solana supporters, also named Hugo Swangstu as a fellow. This two-phase Policy Innovation Fellowship aims to embed pro-crypto expertise in Congress, educating lawmakers on blockchain to shape favorable digital asset regulations, viewed as modestly bullish for bitcoin amid ongoing policy efforts.